|
Those ribs are seriously under rubbed
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2014 03:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 04:39 |
|
|
PSA: If NASA isn't inquiring what solar system your brisket landed from you're doing it wrong. Pre:  Post:  Cooked at about 235-240 for 15 hours. Take-off temp was 202-204 at various parts of the beef. 4 hours of resting then cut and serve! Digital_Jesus fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Jun 15, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2014 13:06
|
|
|
McSpankWich posted:Those ribs are seriously under rubbed Definitely. That's why I had to mention it wasn't my pic. The technique works in a pinch though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2014 16:26
|
|
|
What woods do people use for smoking cheese? I got an A-Maze-N smoker, and I want to give it its first run with some cheeses before doing butts and ribs. Plus, smoked cheese is awesome. Although, it's going to be in the 90's all week, so maybe I'll have to skip the cheese for the next six months or so... BLARGHLE fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Jun 16, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2014 16:11
|
|
|
Hello meat smoking thread. I'm about halfway through reading this thread and you guys have convinced me that smoking meat is something I need to do a lot of. I found a 22.5" WSM on Craigslist for $150 and grabbed it. Here's where I need help though- I need to give it a very thorough cleaning inside. There is a lot of mold/mildew and chunks of "stuff" on the grates. The water bowl is coated with a thick unknown substance. The sides are splotchy gray/black. The exterior is good and there is no rust. There is no damage, dents or scratches anywhere. So what should I do? I was thinking of just hosing it down with oven cleaner but found conflicting opinions on using that on the enameled parts. Also, it didn't come with a cover. I found this one on Amazon that has pretty good reviews. Does anyone have an opinion on it or any other covers? 
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2014 16:53
|
|
|
Economic Sinkhole posted:Also, it didn't come with a cover. I found this one on Amazon that has pretty good reviews. Does anyone have an opinion on it or any other covers? I stopped covering mine a couple of years ago. I live in a very humid area and the restricted ventilation caused all kinds of nasty mold to grow on the inside. Once I stopped covering it there were no more problems with mold. The outside may have faded a little since then but no rust.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2014 17:13
|
|
|
I only cover mine for the winter for the above mentioned mold growing reasons. If it was used a lot by the previous owner, and enough of a seasoning has built up on the inside, your can just use a hose nozzle in the power setting and blast the mold off. If you're still nervous, fill the coal chamber, leave all the vents open 100% and take the door off and it'll get hot enough to burn off whatever is left after the hosing. You could also use that time to test temperature regulation, the WSM is super easy once you get used to it, but you need to learn when to adjust the vents, and when to just leave it alone. Also, either weather strip the door, or replace it completely. The stock door is awful. edit: Here's the door replacement http://cajunbandit.com/wsm-parts-mods/ and if you want to just sure up the seals instead http://www.bbqgaskets.com/catalog_4.html McSpankWich fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Jun 16, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2014 19:49
|
|
|
Couldn't he miss the water and just burn off everything that is in there?
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 01:19
|
|
|
I guess, but why waste the coal. If the water does the job then he can toss like a shoulder in it and still do all the temp testing. Shoulders are super forgiving and basically always come out amazing
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 02:46
|
|
|
Thanks for all the comments. I took a few pictures of what I'm dealing with. Top grate  Bottom grate  Water pan (bleh)  Charcoal grate  I don't think it saw much use and has been sitting for a year or more. I want to get it as clean as possible and start over with seasoning it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 04:25
|
|
|
For starters you could try a bucket of hot soapy water and a rough sponge. Soaking removables, too. For the grates use a normal grill brush? If the water pan is too nasty to mess with you could probably by a new one.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 04:49
|
|
|
I'd probably shitcan the water pan and the charcoal grate and order new ones from Weber. You could soak the grill grates in a mixture of grill cleaner and water and then that poo poo should brush off. And run a full load of charcoal with vents open/no water pan to burn the poo poo off the insides. You might have to spend $50 on all that poo poo but it would be ready to go and you'd have a WSM for half the price of a new one.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 07:16
|
|
|
Moral of the story is if you want an easy clean up on the new water pan just make sure to foil it before every use. Makes cleanup super easy.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 07:38
|
|
|
Economic Sinkhole posted:Thanks for all the comments. I took a few pictures of what I'm dealing with. My modo when cleaning my weber and BGE have always been "By Fire be Purged" works like a charm
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 15:25
|
|
|
Its probably worth giving it a vinegar bath for a day to see what will come off.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2014 16:06
|
|
|
Economic Sinkhole posted:Thanks for all the comments. I took a few pictures of what I'm dealing with. Seriously, burn it out. Content: BKK4000 arrived today Excited to get this sucker seasoned and ready to smoke some yummy meatstuffs.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2014 04:02
|
|
|
I appreciate everyone's input and advice for getting my smoker cleaned up. I was able to spend some time with it last night and it all went much easier than I thought it would. The water bowl cleaned right up after blasting with the hose, scraping with a plastic putty knife and then scrubbing with Dawn. I did use oven cleaner on the grates and it worked pretty well, getting 90% of the gunk off. I scrubbed the inside of the cooker with more Dawn and all the mold came right off. I wiped the exterior down with soap and water. I lit a chimney or charcoal and heated everything up to try to burn off any remaining soap residue or gunk. That seemed to work OK, the thermometer rose steadily to 350 and stayed there with all the vents open. I used a grill brush to take more gunk off the grates but some still remains. I'm thinking of just putting them in the oven at 500 and brushing them again. Exterior shined up nice  Grate before heating and brushing. They are somewhat cleaner than this pic shows now.  I think the only thing I need to replace is the charcoal grate. It is still solid but is corroding badly and warped. I'm planning to rechristen it this weekend with some pork butt and maybe beef roast for pulled beef.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2014 17:00
|
|
|
There's a pulled beef recipe somewhere earlier in the thread that's really awesome. You should do that one. edit: Found it http://wolfepit.blogspot.com/2009/10/pepper-stout-beef.html?m=1 McSpankWich fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Jun 18, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2014 17:28
|
|
|
Finally got a WSM after a seeming eternity of using an ECB (which I made surprisingly good BBQ with). Any thoughts on the utility of getting the aftermarket door?
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2014 17:59
|
|
|
vulturesrow posted:Finally got a WSM after a seeming eternity of using an ECB (which I made surprisingly good BBQ with). Any thoughts on the utility of getting the aftermarket door? The door it comes with is utter garbage and just a hair better than a piece of aluminum foil over the hole. Get the steel door.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2014 18:23
|
|
|
McSpankWich posted:There's a pulled beef recipe somewhere earlier in the thread that's really awesome. You should do that one. Good god. My body is ready. I picked up 2 pork butts and 2 chuck roasts at Costco this weekend. Here we go! I am getting restless to smoke a meat and spent some time coming up with a thermometer holder for the WSM since I don't have a table nearby on the patio. Here's what I made, all centered around the Weber tool holder I got from Lowes for like $4.  
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2014 03:50
|
|
|
Hey yall not promoting on anything, I've been reading this thread for awhile and learning some things since I got my smoker for Christmas. Thought I'd give a heads up that Woot has a propane and a charcoal smoker up on their outdoor sales right now: http://tools.woot.com/offers/charcoal-smoker?ref=cnt_wp_1_8 - Charcoal, which looks to be a hell of a deal 26"x18" for $85 + shipping http://tools.woot.com/offers/propane-vertical-smoker?ref=cnt_wp_1_7 - propane But also! I'd go ahead and ask this: The smoker my dad got me for Christmas is this electric Smoke Hollow. However when I got it home and opened there was a dent in the top of the door and the top of the smoking unit, not a full gap (the door still closes and stays shut), but enough to let some heat out. When I turn it to the highest setting and leave it sit it'll get up to ~300*, which is more than enough for me. Whenever I add food (Chuck roast, whole chickens, turkey breasts, even quartered chickens this has happened), it struggles to maintain above ~215* even when held on high and left to sit. When I was trying to smoke through the winter I thought it was because it was so drat cold that the electric unit just couldn't keep up, but this has persisted into the summer season. I can't tell if this is 1. because of the dent/bulge at the top, 2. the thermometer sticking in to reading right over the chicken, which would be cooler than the unobstructed air, or 3. just a broken thermometer. Whatever I cook is pretty typically working out to be done right on time according to recipes/meat temp +/- ~30 minutes, but I'm really not getting much of a bark forming when I cook (Though since I mostly eat poultry I'm cooking for <4 hours). Anyways my questions then are this: 1. What would cause the thermometer to suck like that? 2. Any good oven thermometer to get to read the interior temp? I have the radio meat thermometer already, but I don't know if there's a cheaper/better option for one to sit inside 3. How best should I fix the dent? I can get a pic tomorrow, but I'm thinking just putting a piece of wood flat along the top of the case and hammering the wood to set the bulge to flush. 4. How long should it take to develop good bark? 5. Sort of related to 4; but when you guys are smoking for such lengthy periods of time are you adding wood every 2 hours or just using big rear end chunks? Or just letting it continue to cook in the heat after the smoke from the first two? Edit: For reference I'm using the Western wood chips, not any pellets or lumps, which I'm not sure would be compatible or how I'd need to upgrade my smoker to fully utilize the greatness of better smoke. Oh and here's a pic of my first turkey breast and whole chicken from a bit ago:  Not nearly as appetizing as some of these briskets I'm seeing, but gently caress it. KettleWL fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Jun 19, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2014 06:50
|
|
|
For those of you that do beans in the smoker, what's the typical cooking time? Also if I want to layer the top with (already cured/smoked) bacon should I put that on right away or wait until a certain "time till done" point? I will be putting the beans in a disposable deep aluminum pan. I will also be using a big can of store bought beans (at least this time) from Coscto. These will be in a 40" Masterbuilt Electric Smoker with racks of ribs above them so the juices flow down into it and most likely some whole chickens on the lower shelf so those juices don't get in it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2014 18:33
|
|
|
The last time I did beans I just dumped a can of Bush's into an aluminum chafing dish, added some rub, ketchup, mustard, molasses, and brown sugar, and placed it on the bottom rack of the WSM. Just left it there for the whole cook. They came out amazing
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2014 19:06
|
|
|
McSpankWich posted:The last time I did beans I just dumped a can of Bush's into an aluminum chafing dish, added some rub, ketchup, mustard, molasses, and brown sugar, and placed it on the bottom rack of the WSM. Just left it there for the whole cook. They came out amazing That's pretty much what I was planning on doing but was mostly worried that the bacon would turn to charcoal if it was in for 6-8 hours with the ribs.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2014 19:24
|
|
|
Trastion posted:That's pretty much what I was planning on doing but was mostly worried that the bacon would turn to charcoal if it was in for 6-8 hours with the ribs. It won't. Your bacon will (probably) not even get crispy because of the low temperature.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2014 21:09
|
|
|
Doesn't really cover cooking time with beans but I've been making this Bourbon Baking Bean recipe (I use half the molasses he calls for) for over year now (5 or 6 times) and it beats the pants off any straight out of can stuff. Next time you have have the time, I suggest trying this recipe out. http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beans/bourbon_barbecue_baked_beans.html
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2014 05:38
|
|
|
nullpointer posted:Doesn't really cover cooking time with beans but I've been making this Bourbon Baking Bean recipe (I use half the molasses he calls for) for over year now (5 or 6 times) and it beats the pants off any straight out of can stuff. Next time you have have the time, I suggest trying this recipe out. http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beans/bourbon_barbecue_baked_beans.html I have to say in general I've never been disappointed with a recipe from his website. It is a great resource.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2014 06:11
|
|
|
Firing up my smoker again today to cook some ribs. I'm a real newbie when it comes to this, and being in Australia it's not the most common thing around. Wife bought me an offset smoker for my birthday earlier this year and I haven't had much luck with my cooks so far but getting better with each attempt. Only just managed to get the hang of removing that drat membrane from the ribs today Ribs have just gone on, I guess in about an hourish I'll rotate them around the plate and hope these don't dry out like my previous attempts, wish me luck!
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 01:53
|
|
|
Well, I just had 6 fire trucks show up at my house. On the plus side, at least I know my neighbors are looking out for me, just wish someone would have knocked on my door first. Anyway I'm smoking my first pastrami tomorrow. I desalinated a hunk of corned beef last night. It's in the fridge now, just coated it in some coriander, black pepper, ground mustard, and paprika. Anyone have any pointers? This will be the first thing I've smoked that isn't a pork shoulder so I don't really have any experience with meats that you can actually mess up. I was going to use hickory because it's what I have on hand.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 13:12
|
|
|
KettleWL posted:1. What would cause the thermometer to suck like that? 1. What kind of thermometer is it? If it's a built-in bimetal couple thermometer in the lid or something that came with the unit, those can be off by 50+ degrees. Tends to be both because of their location in the unit and the fact that bimetal couples are poo poo. The good news is that chicken really doesn't give a poo poo, you can do it up at 225 just fine if you're inclined. 2. The two thermometers that are frequently recommended are the Thermapen and the Maverick ET-732. The Thermapen is nice for steaks or whatever because it gets a temp really goddamn fast, the Maverick is a remote one for long cooks that has a probe for both the meat and one that sits above a grate to give you the internal temp of the unit. It's two different thermometers for two different jobs, sounds like you could benefit from the Maverick. 3. Maybe one of those rubber mallets? Someone else will probably have better advice 4. Most of the meats you see with a good amount of bark are shoulders and briskets that sit in the smoker for 10+ hours. I think the strategy with poultry is usually just to tighten up the skin on a grill after it's smoked. 5. I use big rear end chunks--3-4 when I set up the charcoal ring, +1 when I add the lit coals, +1 when I put the food on. At most I'll add one about 45 minutes after I put the food in. Anyway hope this helps, someone else can probably help you more because I'm just a beginner too and I have the same problem with the temp in my WSM, just drops way low after I put food in. At this point though, like you, I know the food will turn out ok so I just say gently caress it and let it do its thing.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 13:26
|
|
|
KTS posted:Firing up my smoker again today to cook some ribs. I'm a real newbie when it comes to this, and being in Australia it's not the most common thing around. Wife bought me an offset smoker for my birthday earlier this year and I haven't had much luck with my cooks so far but getting better with each attempt. Only just managed to get the hang of removing that drat membrane from the ribs today The trick I've always found useful was to use a spoon or butter knife to pull the edge of the membrane and then hold with a paper towel as you pull it off the rest of the rack.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 18:01
|
|
|
So I've got a smoker I just recently restored and I just got my thermometer in the mail about 10 minutes ago. I'm about to fire it up for the second time ever(I did one run without a thermometer to start seasoning it). This is the smoker I am using: About how much lump charcoal do you think I'll need to get it to around 225? I'm on a charcoal budget(Says the wife) so I don't want to waste it by screwing up this run. Also, I was gonna smoke a rack of ribs tomorrow, anything I should know before I do it? I've got a drip pan but do I fill it with water or does it just collect drippings? Thanks
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 20:21
|
|
|
Can't you just fill it with charcoal and when you're done cooking cut off the oxygen? Or does it not seal well enough? Also royal oak lump is like 7 a bag, you aren't getting anything crazy like BGE lump that will break the bank, right?
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 21:22
|
|
|
I got 20 lbs of BNB hickory lump for like 13$ at Academy. Edit: And I dunno, I've never tried that. It doesn't look like it seals too well, it's really old. It was my grandfather-in-laws and he gave it to me all rusted out and I restored it back in May, but I've never used one before so I don't know wtf I'm doing.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 21:28
|
|
|
Trastion posted:For those of you that do beans in the smoker, what's the typical cooking time? A few days late for bean chat but I usually go abut 2-3 hours @ 225 for canned beans. That amount of time should be OK for your bacon layer because that's about how long it takes to cook bacon wrapped jalapenos @ 225. It's probably not going to get super crispy, but the texture should be OK for beans.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2014 22:02
|
|
|
internet celebrity posted:Well, I just had 6 fire trucks show up at my house. On the plus side, at least I know my neighbors are looking out for me, just wish someone would have knocked on my door first. Anyway Hopefully I am not too late, but just treat it like any other large cut of meat in the smoker. Use a digital meat thermometer and just let it do its thing until you hit about 190. I will also always advocate a rest period followed by steaming to get it more tender. Hickory will be fine. I have also used it to smoke pastrami in the past.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2014 13:55
|
|
|
First attempt on the BKK 4000 last night. Had the temp dialed in to ~210º before heading off to bed. Thought it was steady enough but opened the bottom damper about 1/8" more to nudge it up a little. Woke this morning and wife alerted me to the pork shoulder being at 195º and the keg at 300º.  Still, it was only a pork shoulder and it still came out with decent bark and hella-juicy innards. In hindsight would keeping it at the steady 210º (really wanted it at 225º) have had any detrimental effect other than longer cook time?
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2014 16:39
|
|
|
HoogieChooChoo posted:I've never used one before so I don't know wtf I'm doing. Little late but just fyi it's not hard to mess up ribs. They can dry out easily if you're inexperienced. Typically for the first couple times it's best to try out pulled pork with a pork shoulder since it's the hardest cut of meat to mess up. Another easy one is chicken drums and thighs. The dark meat stays juicy especially with a brine prior to smoking. Chicken is cheap too so if you gently caress it up it's not a big loss. davey4283 fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Jun 22, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2014 17:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 04:39 |
|
|
Trying to smoke up a pork shoulder, and I'm having some trouble stabilizing the temps. In the past I had a couple of those cheap vertical smokers, but I wanted something that I could do more regular grilling with, so now I have a cheap barrel grill and an a-maze-n pellet smoker to try to pull double duty. Anyway! This new thing doesn't hold temps anywhere near as well as my old ones- it constantly wants to run hot. I'm also trying out the minion method, which is not something I ever did in the past. I had gotten the temps down to where I wanted them, but the charcoal had almost entirely burned away, so I tossed a little more on, and it shot back up to 360. I'm guessing I'm either putting too much charcoal on, or is it a matter of air flow? The lid doesn't seal well(poor fitment, and I also need to level the thing up better), so I don't know how much control I'm actually getting out of the vents. Oh, also, the pellets keep going out. I get smoke for like 15 minutes, and then nothing. I used it yesterday to smoke some cheese, and it worked perfectly for about 4 hours(1 row), but today it's just not cooperating. I'm guessing the charcoal is smothering it or something... This is how I have things set up  I took the amzn out to get the pellets going again, and it didn't want to go back out, so I figured "gently caress it" and stuck it back in there. The charcoal also flamed up when I opened the lid, so now it's jumped back up to 323f from 250f...380 now...calm down, grill! BLARGHLE fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Jun 22, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2014 21:50
|
|